Blake Scholl: Why Plane Speed Stalled, Supersonic Commercial Flight, & Revolutionizing the Engine

Video summary

Boom Supersonic targets Mach 1.7 flights while adapting its engine for 42-megawatt data centers.

Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl argues that commercial aviation has stalled since Concorde, but says his 50-person team is reviving supersonic travel. The company’s XB1 became the first privately developed jet to break the sound barrier in 2025, demonstrating “boomless cruise,” which redirects the sonic boom upward. Scholl says the U.S. supersonic flight ban began ending June 6 and that related legalization legislation passed the House and Senate unanimously, with final Senate action remaining. Boom is also building its own vertically integrated engine and turbine factory after ending its Rolls-Royce partnership. The engine’s first application may be ground-based: trailer-mounted systems could deliver 42 megawatts of water-free, behind-the-meter power for data centers, with tens of gigawatts of customer demand already in Scholl’s inbox. For passengers, Boom targets Mach 1.7 Atlantic crossings in three hours, a roughly $3,500 break-even round-trip fare, and service around 2030.

Chapters

1. 0:00Welcome Blake Scholl: Boom’s 50-person XB1 breaks the sound barrier
2. 5:11Solving the sonic boom: Boomless cruise and unanimous legalization votes
3. 7:59The pivot to powering data centers: 42 MW generators and 10+ GW planned
4. 10:38Jason joins: three-hour Atlantic flights, tens of gigawatts of demand, and Boom’s long-term win